Less Scared, No Regrets
by Scarletwriter28
Summary: The war is finally being over, and everyone is finally at peace. Well, except for Keith and Lance. Despite these past few years of growing closer, they still have yet to confess their feelings to one another. The team has thrown a party for everyone who has shown their support for the Voltron Coalition. Will this be their chance to finally confess their feelings to each other?


Keith was sitting on the other side of the room, watching Lance laughing at whatever Hunk had just said. Of course, Lance would have one of those laughs that are so contagious, he could actually get Zarkon to laugh. Well, if he was still alive.

The Intergalactic War™ , as most liked to call it, was finally over. The paladins had all fought long and hard, along with their allies, to finally see this day come. For the first time in so long, they could finally relax. That's why Allura and Lotor, who had finally started dating now that the threat of being killed was gone, announced that they were going to have a feast for everyone who had joined the coalition, as a way of thanking them for their everlasting support. Everyone was enjoying themselves, catching up and thanking any deity they believed in that they had made it out of the war alive. Keith was able to fully come back to the team near the end, and he was glad that he did. He was talking to Shiro and Pidge about one of his missions for the Blade of Marmora, and he was actually having a good time.

If only Lance would stop being infuriatingly attractive.

Keith wasn't going to deny that throughout their time in space, Lance had grown on him. He was still the same guy who'd flirt and enjoyed being in the spotlight. But they had had a lot of moments together where he saw behind his facade, seeing the vulnerability and insecurities he had tried so hard to hide. Keith allowed himself to trust Lance more, hoping that it would help him develop real confidence, and he was so happy to see that Lance was finally seeing himself the way Keith had begun to see him.

Keith enjoyed being Lance's friend. They'd still keep up their so-called rivalry, but it was more in a joking manner nowadays. He didn't actually find Lance's presence annoying, as he once did before. He could also tell that Lance didn't mind his presence either. It would be great if they could continue on this road of friendship, except that Keith's feelings have turned into something more than just friendship.

"That's really great that you managed to retrieve all that data, Keith. It was really valuable, but no one had ever told us exactly how it went down," Shiro said.

"Yeah, thanks," Keith said, distractedly. Hunk had left, and in his place was a pretty alien girl. She was laughing at something Lance had said.

Shiro and Pidge look at each other. They follow Keith's line of vision, and they realize what had caught the brooding boy's attention. They both sighed, wishing that Lance and Keith would stop dancing around each other already and just date. Keith didn't know, but Lance would always get really excited whenever he came to visit, whether it was just to catch up or for a mission.

Pidge readjusted her glasses and asked, "Hey, Keith? I have something really important to tell you."

"Yeah, sure," he said. The alien girl had just put her hand over Lance's. Keith gritted his teeth, feeling the jealousy wash over him. Lance's smile had become a little strained, but he didn't move his hand away. Keith couldn't take his eyes of them.

"I'm moving to Jupiter after the party."

"Sounds great."

"Yeah, and turns out I'm half Galra too."

"Wow, good for you."

"And I'm going to elope with Allura so that we can live together on Jupiter, and we're going to have a bunch of children. You're expected to come every weekend to babysit them while we go out."

"Okay, don't worry."

Pidge groaned. "Seriously? Not even that could get your attention?"

Keith didn't even respond that time, solely focused on the alien girl's hand, which had moved to cup Lance's cheek. He could see that his cheeks were faintly tinted pink. It would have been cute if the alien girl wasn't the reason for it.

"Pidge, the only thing that could get his attention is something Lance-related," Shiro said.

"Hmm. Hey, Keith. Lance told us he thinks you're really cute, even with the mullet." They watched as Keith finally looked away, his cheeks burning red.

"Wait, really? He said I'm cute?" His voice cracked a little at the end, but they didn't comment on it, although Pidge filed that away in the back of her mind, deciding that she definitely needed to include this conversation when she speaks at their wedding.

"Well, I'm sure he thinks you're cute, but he hasn't actually told us that," Pidge explained.

Keith glared at her. "Then, why'd you say that?"

"She said it because you completely forgot that we were still having a conversation when your started your not so subtle staring," Shiro said. He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at Keith.

Keith sighed. "Okay, I'm sorry. It's just that, now that the war is over, I thought some things could be different."

"And by 'some things,' you mean your relationship with Lance."

"Pidge!" Keith covered his face with his hands, trying to hide his blush.

"Come on, Pidge. He's embarrassed," Shiro, ever the voice of reason, said.

"Thank you, Shiro. And I really don't want to talk about this right now."

Keith walked away and leaned against the wall, trying to regain some dignity. He would never admit to anyone that he had a crush on Lance. If he did, the relentless teasing, and the looks he'd get whenever they were in a room together would be too much. He didn't need to be with the team 24/7 to know that that's what they did to Allura and Lotor.

No, staying friends and never acting on his feelings seemed like the right thing to do. He just wished his heart would stop aching so much.

What Keith didn't know was that across the room, Lance wasn't having the best time either. This alien girl, who he had already forgotten the name of, (Wryssa? Wryrra?), was hitting on him. The old Lance would have been thrilled at the fact that a girl was hitting on him, and not the other way around. But then again, the old Lance also denied his feelings for Keith as much as he could, trying to mask the passionate feelings as one would have for a rival.

Facing the, admittedly beautiful, alien girl, Lance couldn't help but wish it was Keith who he was talking to. Keith, who was leaning against wall, looking effortlessly handsome. Lance was so busy looking at Keith that he completely missed what the alien girl had said.

She took her hand off his cheek. "Are you listening to me?"

Lance gulped. "Um, yeah. Of course I am."

"Oh, really? What was I saying?"

"Um...how much you love Voltron?" Lance guessed.

It apparently wasn't the right answer because the alien girl stormed off, scowling. Lance wasn't that upset about it though.

He saw Hunk coming back inside the room, and raised his hand, trying to get his attention. Hunk came over and plopped down next to him on the couch.

"What happened to your alien friend?" Hunk asked.

"She realized I wasn't interested in our conversation and left."

Hunk raised his eyebrows. "Let me guess. You were too busy stealing glances at Keith?"

Lance nodded. Hunk has known about his crush on Keith for a while now. He had made him swear not to tell, knowing that if word got out to the whole team, he'd never live it down.

"You could tell him how you feel, you know? There's no threat of death anymore, which makes it easier. I mean, look at Allura and Lotor," Hunk pointed at them. Lance looked and saw the new alien couple. They seemed shy around each other, even though they both already know they liked each other.

"They seem...nervous."

Hunk squinted at them. "I guess. But, that's kind of to be expected. They were so used to working as a team, not as a couple."

"But, you see, I don't want that. I want to just be in a relationship and avoid all the awkwardness that comes when you start going out with someone." Lance flailed his arms, trying to get his point across.

"It happens to everyone. You just have to stay together long enough to move past it. I'm sure you and Keith could handle it. You're both too stubborn to give up. Speaking of Keith, he's staring right at us." Hunk nodded his head in Keith's direction.

Lance turned and saw Keith leaning against the wall. Pidge was talking to him about something, but Keith was staring at them instead. Well, more like at _him_.

Pidge looked behind her shoulder, probably wondering what Keith was looking at. She saw Lance, who was staring at them, and sighed. She grabbed Keith's arm and pulled him away towards the refreshments table.

Before Lance realized what he was doing, he was smiling at him. Keith seemed to have that effect on him. Keith's eyes widened, and he looked down. Lance turned his attention back to Hunk, feeling disheartened by Keith's reaction.

Lance sighed. "Even if I do confess, I doubt that he'd feel the same way."

The two sat down, one annoyed and the other blushing heavily. Keith slammed his hand on the table. "That's fucking it, I'm killing him.

Pidge raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Or you could go up and ask him out."

Keith's face grew even more red. He put his head down on the table and muttered,"B-but, k-killing… is easier."

Pidge crossed her arms and sighed. "At least you've finally admitted that you do feel something for him."

"Look, Pidge, I appreciate your support, but he's obviously not into guys. Even if he was, he wouldn't be interested in me. We just started becoming better friends instead of rivals. I doubt he wants anything more." Keith raised his head, and looked at Pidge, not expecting sympathy, but at least something.

Instead, Pidge shook her head, got up and walked away. Keith could have sworn he heard her mutter, "These idiots," as she left.

Keith sat there alone, wondering if maybe he should listen to Pidge. But the thing is, his insecurities went deeper than what he let on. After his mom left and his dad died, he didn't really have anyone for a long time. Then, he met Shiro, who became like an older brother for him. But then, Shiro disappeared on the Kerberos mission and was gone for a year. There was also the whole fake Shiro clone thing, not to mention that he ended up seeing the mother who left him too. His life consisted of the most important people, the ones he actually gave a crap about, leaving him. It wasn't always because they wanted to, but in a way, that made it worse. It had nothing to do with him or the other person. It wasn't anything they could fix. The universe just didn't want him to have someone stable in his life, which caused him to prefer to be alone most of the time. Leaving Team Voltron to join the Blade of Marmora wasn't just to find out more about himself as a person and his background, but also to leave before he got hurt again.

But now, he wasn't that rebellious emo teenager anymore. He was older and wiser. He knew that these people loved him, and that it would be really hard for the universe to tear them apart. Despite knowing this, there was still a part of him that was afraid of wrecking that. He was afraid that by confessing to Lance, he would just tempt the universe into screwing with him all over again.

Keith was so deep in his thoughts, that he didn't notice Lance walking up to him, holding two drinks.

"Hey, can I sit here?" Lance asked. He was shuffling his feet, and he wouldn't meet Keith's eyes. Keith rarely ever saw him this nervous. Whenever he got like this, it was usually regarding a dangerous mission, not talking to him.

"Um, sure."

Lance sat down, passing the purple unidentifiable drink towards him. Allura had said that it was some Altean drink that was only passed out after a remarkable victory. Lance had called it Altean booze. Allura didn't get it, but the others had rolled their eyes at his comment. Although, Keith had to admit, it did remind him of the beer that Shiro sometimes allowed him to have when he needed a breather from the confinement that was the Garrison.

"Thanks," he said, grabbing the drink.

"No problem."

The two sat there in silence, which was only a little uncomfortable. Both had a lot on their minds and a lot they wanted to say it. The only problem was coming out and saying it.

Lance took a sip from his drink. "So, there's something I need to talk to you about."

"What's wrong?" Keith asked.

Lance opened his mouth several times, but nothing came out. Keith grew more concerned, wondering what could possibly be rendering him speechless.

"Do you mind if we go somewhere more private? To talk, I mean. I don't really want anyone listening in," Lance said, getting up.

Keith got up too, feeling a little bit of hope rise in his chest as to what Lance wanted to talk to him about. He squashed down that little part of him that had hope because he knew that it was pointless to hope for something that would never come true.

Keith followed Lance out into the corridor of the castle. He thought they'd just talk out there, not thinking anyone would bother them, but it seemed that Lance didn't find it private enough. He ended up taking him to his room, which had only become more customized throughout the years. Souvenirs from alien planets that Team Voltron had visited were scattered everywhere, and there were a few pictures of the team hanging up on the walls.

Keith leaned over and touched one photo that was of him and Lance. Keith was wearing his Blade outfit that day when he had gone to visit them. They were in front of Red, and he remembers that day. What he didn't remember was someone taking a picture of them talking. He blushed at the thought that Lance had kept this photo of them and hung it up in his room. He felt a flutter of hope, but pushed it away again. No hope meant no broken heart.

"Hunk took a picture of us that day. He said that it was to capture our reunion, but I think he just wanted a picture of one of his ships. I was glad he let me keep it though," Lance said from behind him. Keith realized what he said and turned around.

"Ships?"

Lance began to blush. Keith found it adorable. "Um, yeah. That means relationships. He thinks we'd be good together."

"Oh."

"I think so too."

Keith's eyes widened. His heart began to beat faster.

Lance seemed to grow more nervous under Keith's gaze. "Um, he was talking to me earlier about how we're safe now, and that it's okay to want to start a relationship. He was telling me that I just need to put myself out there, but what really got to me was that he said I'll never know if I don't try. That I'll regret it. That really what gave me the guts to do this because one thing I promised my mother, after my father left, was that I would never die with regrets. I had asked her why she loved a man who was so unfaithful, but she said she'd never regret it because he gave her love for so many years. He gave her me and my siblings. She didn't regret a single thing, and I don't want to regret anything either. This may mess things up, but I know that I can't go back to Earth and go our separate ways without telling you how I feel. I think I'm in love with you. No, wait, I am in love with you. If this is too much for you, then I'm sorry. You can go if you want, but I will never regret telling you how I feel. Ever."

Fuck. He was supposed to say something. Keith opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Lance seemed to misinterpret that as rejection and looked away, dejected. Keith grunted, frustrated with himself. Even after hearing all that, a part of him was afraid. But he knew he didn't have to be. He just needed to allow himself to be impulsive. He had always thought of that as his worst quality since it made it difficult for him to lead Team Voltron during the time that Shiro went missing. He had tried to destroy the impulsiveness he had, but he realized that's what he needed right now. He needed to be impulsive and use his actions, not his words. So he did the first thing that came to mind.

He grabbed Lance's shoulders. Lance looked up, surprised to see that Keith was still there. He opened his mouth to say something. What he was going to say, Keith will never know because for the first time in a long time, he let his emotions overtake his logic, and just collided his lips against his.

Keith had never kissed anyone before, so he knew he wasn't doing a very good job. The kiss was rough, their noses bumped into each other, their teeth clashed, but he didn't care. All he cared about was how soft Lance's lips were. He could taste the sweetness of the Altean booze on his lips. He felt the emotion in the kiss. There was passion and fear. But there was also love. Unbridled, pent up love. Keith loved every second of it.

They pulled apart for air, and with their foreheads against each other, their eyes shut, and their breaths ragged, Keith knew what to say.

"All my life, I felt like the universe had out for me. I lost my mom, my dad, and even Shiro. I had trouble connecting with others before coming on to this team. But even then, I was afraid of any of you leaving me. Maybe that's why I left first. But I always thought something was going to happen if I allowed myself to be happy with you all. Nothing ever did, which just made me think something bad would definitely happen with _us_. The universe had screwed me over a lot, and I knew that this would be great opportunity for it to do it again. I was scared then. I think I'm still scared now. But I _love_ being around you. I l _ove_ having you in my life. _I love you_. And you know what? The universe is gonna have to try a hell of a lot harder if it wants to mess this up. With you, I think I can learn to not be scared. I can try to fight for us." Keith opened his eyes, finding Lance already staring back at him.

"You won't be fighting alone. Sorry, but after that whole speech, you're stuck with me," Lance grinned. He closed the small distance between them, capturing his lips once more. It wasn't perfect, but then again neither were they. Just like their kisses, their relationship would only get better with time and practice.

Keith was kind of craving for a new adventure after the war, and he couldn't wait to embark on this one with the boy he loved.

Little did he know, Lance was thinking the same exact thing.

Bonus:

"Finally!" Pidge whisper-shouted. She had her ear pressed up against the door, along with Hunk and Shiro. They had heard the two oblivious young men finally confess their feelings to each other. The Klance ship had finally sailed.

They stepped away, satisfied with what they heard, and began to walk back to the feast.

"It was about time. Those two had been completely blind to the other's feelings for years," Shiro said.

"Considering how stubborn they are, is it really that surprising?" Hunk commented.

"I guess not. I still didn't think it would take this long."

They stopped outside the entrance to the party, reveling in the fact that Keith and Lance were finally together.

"Love is one of the most complicated things in the entire universe. They just needed time to realize how they felt, and what to do about it. We should just be glad that they're not torturing us anymore about it, and feel proud that we played a role in helping them get together," Pidge said.

"You're right, Pidge. The important thing is that they're together, not how long it took," Shiro replied.

"Of course, I'm right. Now, gentlemen, it's time to follow through on the deal. I told you that they'd take longer to get together than Allura and Lotor." Pidge smirked.

Allura, Lotor, Keith, and Lance were all confused the next day when they saw Hunk and Shiro with their faces painted red and blue, carrying Pidge around the entire day.


End file.
